The
following signatories of officials in Postmaster –Grade –II have gone through
the blogs of both the unions –AIPEU-Gr-c and NAPE-Gr-C, in the wake of cadre
restructuring in Group-C in our department. We felt that the Department, though
has introduced the Postmaster Cadre with great zeal and the same enthuse the
sentiments and ambitions of the supervisory staff. However the same is appeared
as diluted due to the latest developments in the Department. “Postmaster Cadre” was
originally constituted by carving out few posts from the existing General Line cadre;
the Department has not categorically enumerated the features and scopes of the
Postmaster Cadre. Simply they called for options from the existing officials in
Generals line position imposing that the option once exercised is final and
cannot be withdrawn.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<!--[endif]-->As per the preamble of the constitution of the
Postmaster cadre, the Department said that there was a need to shoulder the
responsibility of the new schemes and products by a well managed professionals from
among the existing Supervisory cadre and the department without enlighten the
goals of benefits in switching over to the Postmaster Cadre from the General
line has simply required to exercise option to Postmaster Cadre. Thinking that
the department would extend benefit to the postmaster cadre, and with the
intension to shoulder higher responsibilities in the name of Postmaster and in
view of some guidance from the union leaders some of the General line officials
had opted to Postmaster Cadre.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<!--[endif]-->It is also brought to your kind information that
some of the officials who were in the HSG-I (Adhoc) had opted to Postmaster
Grade –II. The option exercised by these HSG-I (Adhoc) officials to Postmaster
Grade was taken only for Postmaster Grade –II and not for Postmaster-Grade-III.
Due to this these officials have monetarily put a loss of a sum of Rs 1600/-
per month. There is no immediate benefit in opting to Postmaster Grade from
HSG-I (Adhoc)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<!--[endif]-->More over these ill-fated officials have also been
denied the right to appear against the 6% of PS-Group-B post through
Departmental competitive examinations though the quota for General Line
officials from which this Postmaster grade has been carved out is still kept as
such at 6% and not reduced.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<!--[endif]-->It is seen from the information furnished in
various blogs regarding filling up of the posts of Postmaster Grade-III, that
after the Recruitment Rules for HSG-I is amended the existing HSG-I
(Adhoc) and HSG-II regular , officials
will be considered for promotion to
HSG-I on regular basis relaxing the HSG-I recruitment Rules as one time
measure. After filling up all the existing HSG-I posts from the so promoted HSG-I officials, option from
these HSG-I officials will be called for
afresh to switch over to Postmaster
Grade –III again and get the Postmaster Grade –III post filled up under initial
constitution. The residual vacancies if any would then be thrown open for the
officials of Postmaster Grade-II for Promotion to Postmaster Grade-III.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<!--[endif]-->This suggestion mooted out by the Union is not correct and do not hold water. It will
result in injustice to the existing Postmaster Grade-II officials and will
definitely create anomaly and dissatisfaction among the cadre, as narrated
below.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<!--[endif]-->All the officials including the officials in HSG-I
have been required to exercise option to Postmaster Grade and as there was no
sufficient takers for Postmaster Grade
–III from HSG-I line then, the
department again called for option from the General line HSG-I officials
extending the date for option. The extended date of option given for all the
LSG/HSG-II /HSG-I Cadre officials was over by May 2011. Still there were few
takers.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<!--[endif]-->Therefore calling option again from the general
line officials giving them promotion to HSG-I on regular basis as a onetime measure
will results in SURE promotion to
Postmaster –Grade-III, to the junior official in the ERSTWHILE combined
Gradation list of HSG-II before
introduction of Postmaster Grade. The senior officials in said COMBINED
Gradation list who had opted for Postmaster Grade –II under initial constitution and working as Postmasters in
Postmaster Grade-II from April 2011 will become juniors in the Postmaster cadre.
They will be considered for promotion to Postmaster Grade –III only if any post
in Postmaster Grade-III is left over as unfilled under initial constitution by
their juniors.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<!--[endif]-->Therefore, if fresh option is opened to the
existing General line officials now in HSG-I (either on Regular or Adhoc basis)
such option should also be extended to those officials working in the erstwhile
HSG-I (Adhoc),/HSG-II(Regular) before introduction of the Postmaster Cadre,
notionally promoting them to Regular HSG-I from the date on which his junior
HSG-I (Adhoc) /HSG-II (Regular) officials is given promotion to HSG-I (REGULAR) so that the inter-se seniority can be
maintained without any injustice done to them.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<!--[endif]-->We also request the union to persuade the
Department to permit us to write the Limited Departmental Competitive
Examination (LDCE) to the cadres like IPO and PS- Group-B.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.<!--[endif]-->As the
postmaster posts are meant for postmasters, The Sr.Postmaster Posts should be
thrown open to Postmaster grade officials. Therefore the Postmaster Grade
officials should be permitted to write the LDCE meant for Sr.Postmaster Posts
also.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11.<!--[endif]-->We also request
to consider the union, to get handsome amount as Postmaster Allowance for holding
higher responsibility as Postmasters.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->12.<!--[endif]-->It is
also suggested that there is no point in keeping Two different set of posts as
Postmasters posts and general Line Posts without any difference in job analysis
and the responsibilities ofLSG posts and
Grade I Postmaster, HSG II and Grade – II & HSG – I and PM Grade – III. Creation of one separate cadre as Postmaster
cadre from just 1/3rd of LSG, HSG – II and HSG –I posts will bring no change in
the efficiency of the Department. To improve the efficiency or to meet
challenges in the wake of introduction of technology, challenges from market
and increase in productivity, we request the union to consider and succeed in
bringing all HPOs and all LSG, HSG II
and HSG-I SOs under ” Postmaster cadre” . This will solve all the problems
faced by both the general line officials and Postmaster grade officials
instantly.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->13.<!--[endif]-->If this
is felt as not possible by the Department to convert all the Posts of HPOs / HSG-I.HSG-II
and LSG, then department may consider “abolishing” the Postmaster Cadre
itself as the Postmaster cadre has no charm at all either on pay benefit or on
future promotional aspects or financial or administrative
powers to postmaster cadre. Special pay or pay scale is not extended to the
Postmaster cadre. Therefore Union may please
take up this issue very seriously and abolish the Postmaster Cadre
itself to solve the anomalies.